A visit to the flicks.

Its over 30 years since i last went to the pictures, took the in-laws to see ET, so i surprised myself with the desire to see "Mr Turner" the biopic of the English painter Joseph Mallord William Turner. A Mike Leigh film.

It was also my first visit to the Tyneside Theater, built in the 30`s to show newsreels which it still does today, none of those multi screen jobs a charming, cosy, cinema comfortable seating and decorated in the period.

Ive always been a fan of Turners work, his use of light and nature appeals to my eye so i was wondering how the film would portray this.

Mike Leigh did a wonderful job, fabulous cinematography and an eye for detail with stellar performances by Timothy Spall as Turner, and Dorothy Atkinson as his housekeeper Hannah, surely, potential Oscar winners here.

The film looks at the last 25 years of Turners life, and is littered with funny moments throughout.

Ticket price was a mere £4:50, mind you the Pearl and Dean type adds have changed somewhat, and im still waiting for the Kiora lady to come round with her tray, all in all an enjoyable day. Might just go to see the final Hobbit film, i usually wait for the DVD`s to appear but cant beat the big screen for some films.

Have not said much about the film itself, dont wish to spoil it for others that might be considering seeing it, but can recommend it

Re: A visit to the flicks.

It appeals to me too Nom but it's not in our local cinema listings so far. We go to the flicks about every 3 years, it's about £6.50 a throw now and that's OAP rates. We were considering going to a screening this Monday of Andre Rieu's Maastricht concert which took place in July but it was £13 each........I'll wait until the DVD comes out.

Re: A visit to the flicks.

The last film I saw at the flicks was Jaws, but it frightened me so much that I never went back.....

Re: A visit to the flicks.

Tee hee - made me giggle, I wasn't scared

Re: A visit to the flicks.

ET was the last cinema outing for me ......

Re: A visit to the flicks.

Would love to go to the Flicks again last time I saw Face Off in the Odeon Leicester Square dived for cover thought a bomb went off but it was only Nickolas Cage firing a rifle.
Like many things these days I tend to give a wide birth to social outings where there maybe many people coughing and sneezing in the same room.
I love Timothy Spall's acting and I will certainly give Mr Turner a viewing just has soon as I see a good download may have to wait a few days but I will find one.
Thanks for the recommendation NOM.

Re: A visit to the flicks.

Reading a few quotes on IMDB from Spall I find some quite amusing.
Thought they maybe of interest.

Personal Quotes (5)

On his battle with leukemia: "I didn't know what made me ill but stress had something to do with it and the point is now to head off stress at the pass. It made me aware of things and become more selective. I am less worried about employment. I really do my homework so I am not getting stressed on the set because I don't know what I'm doing."


[talking about the roles that have made him famous] "What some people take to be losers, I consider to be representative of normal life."


[on the possibility of an award at Cannes for 'Mr. Turner'] If it comes up, I'll have a go. Someone's got to win one. Actors always say, 'Oh, competition shouldn't be part of art'. Bollocks. It's a part of everything.


[on inadvertently assuming the persona of J.M.W. Turner in a pub , while preparing for his role] I grunted in a Georgian way, 'Are you a provider of wine?' I had to go and lean against a wall and take a deep breath to go back and ask, 'Can I have a glass of Pinot Grigio?'This is the only time in my life when the character bled into me.


Obviously I can't paint like Turner. I can paint like he did at nine. If you look at his paintings from when he was nine, they're not bad.

Re: A visit to the flicks.

I went to see that in 1975. Brilliant film and I've watched it many times on the TV since. I was only a kid and when I got home something even more frightening had taken place.

We lived on the exit to the 'new' M63 (now M60) motorway in Manchester. The place was all police cordoned off. A large tanker and a car were turning off the roundabout right outside our house and the tanker had toppled over on to the car, completely crushing it. Amazingly the elderly couple in the car managed to get out alive.

Re: A visit to the flicks.

Glad you enjoyed it Nom.

Thanks for that interesting info on Timothy Spall Longfellow, never knew he had Leukemia.

Re: A visit to the flicks.

Don't really wanna open a new thread for this little snippet so I will piggy back on NOM's.
Check out The Judge.
Robert Downey Jnr very good moving movie.
Makes a change from watching him get dressed up in that metal suit of his..